The community of Dunster began only as a stop along the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad in 1913, an un-touched piece of land rooted between The Rockies and The Caribous. The very first settlers came with the railroad, and many stayed in Dunster due to its scenic beauty, fertile farmland and plentiful resources that the valley provided.

​

Some of the structures first built in the area included the post office and the train station. The station was built in 1913, and soon after the post office opened up in 1915. While this new community was originally known as “mile 72”, it was soon named Dunster after a scenic village in Somerset, England and has been named that ever since. The railway was pivotal in the development of Dunster, as it was used to ship in any building materials and ship out any items produced in the area. As well, the railway opened up the area for settlers and was important for passenger transportation in the early days.

​

A few years later, the Dunster store and the Dunster school house were built. The Dunster store opened in 1918, burned down and was rebuilt. The store was central to the community, as many folks gathered there, and at the nearby station, to drop of their milk and cream they shipped by rail, pick up their mail and any other items they needed. People travelled by horseback and wagon, coming to learn from the storekeeper the various news and happenings in the area and around the world. Another center for the community was the schoolhouse which began as a single room log building that was replaced various times, growing alongside the community.

Dunster’s incredible farmland and friendly faces attracted many settlers, and by 1920 agriculture was thriving. By 1929, the area had gained a population of over one hundred, with much of the population logging, alongside farming. There was a variety of different types of agriculture including dairy and beef cattle, sheep, chicken, and vegetable farming. Cedar trees grew abundantly in Dunster, and cedar became another important resource. Local cedar logs also supplied the first power poles for the Robson Valley. In 1921, another big advancement, the Dunster bridge was constructed, and for its time it was a state-of-the-art structure. The bridge was a big advancement for the community and connected both areas across the river without the inconvenience of using the ferry.

​

During the mid to late 1900’s Dunster was a mixed farming community with large families and a strong sense of companionship amongst them. Much of the friendship within the valley revolved around the Dunster school which had around 52 kids in the late 60s. The original Dunster hall (eventually caved in under a heavy fall of snow) and the Dunster school became the main location for any events that took place within the area; some of the most popular being the Christmas concert, 4H club, community dances, and sports tournaments. Dunster also had a long running Women’s Institute that began when the community was young and continued till the 1980’s, as well as a strong Farmer’s Institute that was well valued and protected by locals.

The Dunster way of life continued as the first waves of development settled down, and it was clear that the people came together to create a strong culture and wonderful reputation of kindness, peacefulness, and resourcefulness.

​

In the 1960s, Dunster had a wave of draft dodgers and conscientious objectors who came into the area. Some of the draft dodgers had a similar ideology of ‘living off the land’ as many of the residents and either blended into the community or decided to move on.

In the 1960s, Dunster had a wave of draft dodgers and conscientious objectors who came into the area. When these people arrived in the valley, they brought more diversity to the already diverse area and created a culture shift in the way Dunster operated. Aside from the incoming residents, the locals of Dunster represented different religions, languages, and nationalities, but there were few issues or conflict over beliefs.

​

The community worked together to build a new hall in 1978, alongside the new highway, and with the old hall having been such an essential piece of the community, people were thrilled and began throwing events before it was even fully completed.

The Dunster area has always attracted many artists, with painters, potters, musicians, and the like making Dunster their home. The creativity that is prevalent in the area has contributed to what makes Dunster such a unique place. When the new bridge was built in 1973, a group of Dunster ladies continued painting flowers on the bridge until the Department of Highways gave up repainting it and named it "The Dunster Flower Bridge”, a particularly wonderful display of the use of arts to make the community welcoming.

​

Dunster remains as a generational farming community today, with more diversity than ever. The area sees lots of residents coming and going and enjoying the valley during their time there. The Dunster store, Dunster schoolhouse, and Dunster community hall are all still highly important to the residents and are the heart of the community. When CN began systematically destroying the new stations, locals rallied together to save the Dunster icon and purchased it from CN for $1; since then, the station has been converted to a museum that both locals and visitors enjoy, as it is one of the last original stations of its kind left today.

​

Dunster’s agricultural industry has slowed down and is mainly continued by the families that have farmed in the valley a long time, with the exception a few young newcomers. Some locals consider farming as more of a culture or way of life than an industry now, and many residents have ‘hobby farms’ with smaller land holdings.

In more recent years, residents have worked together to keep the Dunster spirit strong with farmer’s markets, the well-loved Ice Cream Social, the Robson Valley Music Festival, and other events. The CNR railroad which brought some of the first settlers, now brings visitors from Jasper who enjoy the scenic trip and stop at the Dunster Store to visit with the storekeeper reminiscent of those first days of Dunster.

​

Dunster has remained a friendly and close-knit community all throughout its existence and continues to change and grow as time goes on. The residents of Dunster still work together to maintain a strong network and open their area warmly to anyone who wishes to visit or stay.